


Your presence feels as natural as breathing

by ChromeXVII



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Fluff, Getting Together, Light Angst, M/M, No kiss sorry but they still end up together, Tumblr: otpprompts, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-21
Updated: 2015-12-21
Packaged: 2018-05-08 02:22:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5479730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChromeXVII/pseuds/ChromeXVII
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yamaguchi wants to give a homemade card to Tsukishima for Valentine's Day but never finds the courage to do it. And when he finally decides to do it, Tsukishima simply tells him "<i>Just toss it onto the pile</i>" which brings Yamaguchi to run away without saying anything more.<br/>Then, Yachi comes and talks about Yamaguchi's card and Tsukishima finally realises his mistake.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Your presence feels as natural as breathing

**Author's Note:**

>  
> 
> [ILLUSTRATION HERE](http://chromexvii.tumblr.com/post/135612029861/illustration-for-my-tsukkiyama-oneshot-v)  
> 
> 
> I hope this is good. English not being my first language, I'm often scared of making mistakes- q//v//o
> 
> Inspired by this [prompt](http://otpprompts.tumblr.com/post/118999632313/person-a-wants-to-give-a-special-homemade-card-to) from [otpprompts](http://otpprompts.tumblr.com/), enjoy!  
> “ _Person A wants to give a special homemade card to Person B for Valentine’s Day. They go to Person B, only to see a ton of cards on their table, Person B being very popular. They see Person A’s card, but mistakes it for a card that someone gave to Person A to give to Person B, telling them to just ‘toss it onto the pile’ in an uncaring manner. Person A, trying to hide their broken heart, leaves as casually as they can. Person B’s friend soon points out the mistake that Person B made by reading the inside of the card and revealing that it was from Person A. Now it’s up to Person B to find Person A and make things right._ ”

_...It's warm and nice._

                Kei finishes his miso soup, sitting alone at the table in his uniform and his bag on the floor, against the chair.

Someone comes down the stairs but he doesn't turn to look at them. His older brother steps barefooted on the ice-cold parquet, shivering and wanting to complain about it. Akiteru stops in front of the coffee machine and turns it on, rubbing one foot on the other, hoping that they would warm up a little.

“ **'Morning, Kei...** ”

“ **Good morning.** ”

He stands up, brings the dishes to the sink, and looks at his phone : _06:41_ , time to go. The lock screen is showing a music on pause with its nice sky blue jacket as a background. Then, he puts his phone in his right pocket before putting a light brown wool scarf and a yellow-cream coat on. Being sure he didn't forget anything and his bag on his shoulder, he opens the front door, letting the frizzing air penetrate in the house.

“ **I'm off.** ”

“ **Take care-** ”, Akiteru yawns and presses the button.

When Kei steps outside the house, it feels like the ice-cold air is attacking his skin, and he slips both his hands in their respective pocket on each side of the warm coat. The sun hasn't even risen yet, the sky is still dark, making it feel even colder.

“ **Tsukki!** ”

Oh. He is here today too. Well, not that it is even surprising or anything. Yamaguchi comes and picks him up every single day since junior high unless one of them can't go to school. And even if Kei couldn't go — most of the time because of a cold, Yamaguchi would still come and see how he was doing, then come back again after school to give him his notes. At first, he would always use the doorbell, but then, Kei told him to wait outside — Kei being always on time — because of how annoying it was to hear the doorbell everyday so early in the morning. For some reason, he has always been like this : overly nice, following Kei everywhere, always trying to do his best, wanting to help even if Kei was better at the thing, always trying to take care of “ _Tsukki_ ”.

It was a nice feeling though. Kei was always alone and was used to be alone. After all, he has a terrible personality and nobody would come near him. Nobody beside Yamaguchi.

Yamaguchi is always here. He always had. He is always so much here that now, it feels so natural for Kei to have him by his side. So natural that if he wasn't there, it wouldn't feel right. ...Not that Kei would tell him out loud though.

                While they are walking, Yamaguchi asks Kei if he slept well, if he was feeling good today, and Kei replied nothing but “Yeah”. Then, as usual, the same as it has always been since Akiteru's third year in high school, they walk in silence until they reach school. Before that, they would always talk in a cheerful way. And after that, the freckled boy would always try to think of a topic, wanting to cheer him up, trying to break the heavy atmosphere, but never succeeding, then never really confident about what he was going to say. So most of the time, he wouldn't say anything. Nevertheless, this awkward silence changed into a nice, comfortable silence the both of them ended up used to.

Sometimes, they would still talk. And especially now that Kei overcame his problems — thanks to Yamaguchi and to Nekoma and Fukurodani's captains, small talks between them became a lot easier.

“ **...Tsukki ?** ”

“ **What ?** ”

“ **...I-...** ”

...Nothing more.

Kei is kind of curious, but more than that, maybe somehow upset.

“ **...Err, no, it's- It's nothing, sorry!** ”

Okay, not “somehow upset”, just upset. He starts, then stops, then says it's nothing, so why say something to begin with?

 

...

 

                When they arrive at the club's room, the others are already here (maybe except Tanaka), Hinata and Kageyama being noisy and annoying as ever. As soon as Kei enters the club's room, he already wants to leave. How can they be so energetic? It's almost been a whole year but Hinata's stamina limit is still unknown to God.

Practice is the same as usual. Serve, receive, block, spike. The only thing that changes is that the third years are not coming to the morning practice anymore. They still come to practice in the afternoon, probably just to keep the usual pace and habit, to remember, to make more memories of the club. Also, Ennoshita is officially the new captain, now that Daichi retired.

It's already the middle of February.

 

...

 

                When Kei arrives into the classroom, his eyes automatically look for his desk. It is still near the window even though they switched seats since summer. On the other hand, Yamaguchi who was far away during spring and summer ended nearer to Kei's seat.

Kei sighs, seeing a pile of colorful cards on his desk. Where is he going to put his stuff on? Why are the girls consistently giving him those useless cards he is not even interested in? And more than that, he can't even get rid of them because the reactions that come from people afterwards are even more annoying.

He sits down and decides to ignore them, looking outside the window. Yamaguchi seems to want to say something, opening his mouth, but shutting it right after, not saying anything again. What's with him, today?

The bell rings and the teacher steps in. Everybody sits at their own desk and the classroom becomes incredibly calm for the four next periods.

 

...

 

                Lately, Tadashi is being nervous. Kind of...very nervous. Restlessly nervous. After all, Valentine's Day is approaching, and this time... This time! He really wants to give something to Tsukki, and finally confess. He can't help it, he has always liked him. And recently, Tsukki has become even cooler. Moreover, since their second trip to Tokyo, talking to Tsukki became easier and Tadashi feels even more comfortable with him.

Thus, he did it. He made a homemade card and is decided to give it to Tsukki today. Well, **today** doesn't mean he absolutely has to give it as soon as they meet right...? And even if he absolutely had to give it before morning practice or before class, it is too late now. This morning, when Tadashi went to pick Tsukki up like he always does, he chickened out and didn't tell Tsukki anything. Then, before class, he was so intimidated by all the pretty cards on Tsukki's desk he didn't say anything.

And now? What is he going to do now? Of course he is going to give this to Tsukki. He has to do it. If he doesn't, nothing will change. ...But-... Is it that bad that nothing changes? Maybe it is better that everything stays the same as before.

                Suddenly, the bell announcing noon rings and brings Tadashi back to reality. He shakes his head to banish all his negative thoughts. He stands up, mentally pushing himself.

_You can do it!_

He takes a breath, then turns in Tsukki's direction.

“ **Erm... Tsukki...! This-...** ”

Tsukki looks up, sees the card, and Tadashi's heart which was already beating fast enough began to beat even faster, making him shake and want to run away. But he doesn't. Maybe he should.

“ **...Just toss it onto the pile.** ”

...Oh. Yeah, he should have run away.

At these words, Tadashi feels like his heart snapped into pieces. The freckled boy lets his envelope fall on Tsukki's desk and leaves. What else can he do? He feels like having a lump in his throat. He wants to cry. He can't say anything, because if he tries, he'd just burst into tears.

So, he leaves, walking fast in the corridors. Then, he reaches the door leading to the gymnasium which is still empty. Usually, Kageyama and Hinata would be practicing though. What happened to them? Are they sick? Because... Like... We are talking about Kageyama and Hinata! Those volley ball idiots!

...Whatever.

Tadashi opens the door and shivers. It really is cold. He is an idiot. He is walking outside without his coat in the middle of February when it's raining like this. ...Yeah, raining. And a heavy rain, on top of that. The weather is this cold, and it's not even snowing, just raining.

“ **...Will Tsukki be pissed at me if I catch a cold...?** ”

_Will he be pissed at me...? Will he take care of me?_

Since childhood, Tadashi always had a weaker constitution than Tsukki. When Tsukki was sick, he would always visit him without fail. But when Tadashi was the one catching a cold, Tsukki would rarely come to see him. He would always send a message or even call him though! And just with that, Tadashi was very happy. While having a fever, he would be as pale as a sheet of paper and red like a tomato at the same time, and having bags under his eyes, looking like he is dying. But then, his face would light up immediately seeing a message coming from Tsukki. And of course, it would be even better if he called!

Yet, now, he is feeling unsecure. Does Tsukki really care...?

Tadashi bites his lips.

Of course he cares. Tsukki's always been like that. He cares, but doesn't say anything. Then, sometimes, he would be so pissed at himself and be all irritated. Tadashi knows. And he also knows that Tsukki has probably mistaken his gift for something coming from a girl. After all, when a girl starts a conversation with Tadashi, it's always about Tsukki. Always. (Except for the club's managers, maybe.) To the point it becomes kind of frustrating. Well... Tsukki deserves all this attention, though. Even if it annoys him. But Tadashi can't help but feeling hurt.

He sits in front of the gymnasium's doors, burying his face in his knees and biting his bottom lip once again.

“ **It's cold...** ”

 

...

 

                Kei looks at the grey sky through the window, still sitting at his seat, his headphones on.

_The rain became heavier._

It's been pouring rain for hours and it just becomes worse. He simply hopes it won't last forever. He doesn't want to go back home under this shitty sky.

_It's irritating._

What happened to Yamaguchi? Usually, he would be so happy just eating with Kei. But not today, apparently. His freckled friend just disappeared somewhere without saying anything after helping a girl again.

_It's irritating._

Why does he always do that? What does he has to gain from that? The girls are always so annoying. Kei already told Yamaguchi not to carry their gifts he doesn't even want. Other than his family, he only accepts shortcake from Yamaguchi. Not that he would say that out loud though.

**_So irritating._ **

Why is Yamaguchi so nice to everybody in the first place? This guy can never say “ _no_ ”. That is also why Kei was so surprised when Yamaguchi stood up against him, took him by his collar and shouted at him. That really punched Kei in the face, at the time.

He can't help but let a slightly bitter yet nice smile bend his lips.

“ **Tsukishima-kun?** ”

He almost jumps, and turns around to see Yachi-san standing there. Since when is she there? He didn't even notice her. Was he **that** absent-minded?

He puts his headphones down, hanging them around his neck.

“ **Is Yamaguchi-kun here...?** ”

“ **...No.** ”

“ **I see.** ”

She seems troubled.

He is not here, and Kei is the one wanting to know why. He feels so uncomfortable right now and doesn't even know why. This is just irritating as fuck.

“ **Did you want something from him?** ”

“ **O-Oh! Um, it's more like he wanted something from me... In fact... Well, it's not a big deal, really! I-I mean, he begged me to lend him my English textbook because he forgot his. And since I didn't see him coming I just thought I'd come and give it to him!** ”

...Oh, right. Yachi-san too, is way too nice. What's wrong with them? Being all nice and all. She didn't have to come all the way here to lend her textbook to Yamaguchi, right? After all, he is the one who forgot.

“ **I see. I'll give it to him for you.** ”

“ **Really?! Thank you! Okay then, hm, here...!** ”

Kei sighs. These people make him crazy.

“ **See you later at practi-... Oh!** ”

What now?

“ **Oooh, I see! So Yamaguchi finally handed it to you!** ”

...What? What is she talking about?

“ **Handed what?** ”

“ **Huh? Well, this? What else? Oh my god he didn't tell you?** ”

She makes a face obviously saying “ _Was that a surprise?! OH MY GOD, WHAT DID I DO?! I WENT AND SAID UNNECESSARY THINGS AND RUINED EVERYTHING!_ ”, but Kei doesn't have the time to laugh over this. She...was talking about that envelope, right...?

“ **I-I AM SO SORRY, PLEASE FORGET EVERYTHING I JUST SAID!** ”

“ **Wait-... Wait. What are you talking about?** ”

The short blond manager looks down, probably feeling guilty (even if she doesn't have anything to feel guilty about).

“ **Well... It's just... Yamaguchi-kun asked me to help him making a homemade card, you see... He was really nervous and I started being all nervous too, I just hope I've been able to help him! But he looked really happy when he was done and he really wanted to give it to you so I thought you knew... I didn't know he was trying to surprise you, I'm so sorry!** ”

...Well... Yeah. He **is** surprised. Like, really surprised.

_“Just toss it onto the pile.”_

Oh. Shit.

“ **No, you don't have to feel guilty. I guess I was the one who made a mistake, thank you for telling me.** ”

Then, Kei gets up, cuts the music that was still playing and leaves, walking fast and even forgetting his coat while Yachi-san still can't understand a thing of what is going on.

                He is walking so fast people are probably all staring at him. Plus, he is tall, so people naturally stare at him even if he is not running like a weirdo in the corridors. Though, he doesn't have the time to think about that. He doesn't care. It is not important. More than that, he has to find that freckled idiot.

Why is he even so worked up? Why is he even running after someone? Yamaguchi's presence became so natural for him that he wasn't even thinking about how he never ran after him. It was always Yamaguchi running after him since the very beginning. Kei didn't ever think about it because that had become a part of his everyday.

He tried the whole floor, looked in Kageyama and Hinata's classrooms, went up to the second and third floor just to find his teammates telling him they didn't see Yamaguchi.

_Just where **is** he, geez!_

He's had enough. He is so irritated right now. At Yamaguchi for disappearing without a word and being nowhere to be found, but more than that, at himself for not realising anything.

                Then, finally, Kei pushes the doors that lead to the gymnasium, the cold air making his whole body shiver.

_...He is here._

He is out of breath, panting. Why is he even doing this? Why is he even so desperate? He knows. He knows but he didn't know that Yamaguchi didn't know. He didn't ever say it, and when his best friend tried, he mistook everything and harshly pushed him away.

Class begins in twenty minutes. He still has twenty short minutes. Thus, he walks to the stairs and stops in front of his childhood friend, silent. What is he going to do, now? What is he going to say? Where does he even begin?

“ **Yamaguchi.** ”

He calls out to him, in a very calm voice yet full of impatience. He tries to stay calm but he feels like his emotions are overflowing. What is this? Why is this even happening? Is he becoming one of these super annoying teenagers in love? Just thinking about it makes Kei want to throw up. Honestly. But what can he do? He can't control it.

Such a weird feeling.

Yamaguchi doesn't look up nor does he say anything. Simply, Kei knows that he heard him when he tightens his left arm and fingers around his legs.

“ **...I'm sorry.** ”

This time, Yamaguchi looks up to him, tears in his eyes. And seeing his pained expression, Kei feels like something just snapped in his chest.

What is Yamaguchi going to say? Is he going to forgive him? Yamaguchi always forgives him for everything. He always goes in Kei's way. But this time, just for this once, Kei can't help but feel his nervous. His heart doesn't listen to his orders and just keeps rising its pace, beating fast and strong to the point he's sick. It's as if she just ran up a hill, but at the same time, it feels different.

“ **I didn't know. ...That it was from you.** ”

He pauses.

“ **...Thank you.** ”

Yamaguchi buries his face in his knees one again, and Kei can hear him sobbing while the rain is a lot lighter than a few minutes ago.

Finally, Kei sits next to Yamaguchi without a word, then reaches out to Yamaguchi hand, crossing his pinky finger with his. He feels like his face is burning, but doesn't say anything. Better keep his actual face a secret. He simply prays that Yamaguchi won't look at him now.

“ **...Tsukki.** ”

“ **Yeah?** ”

He feels Yamaguchi's finger tightening around his.

“ **...I like you.** ”

Now, Kei is simply smiling, eyes closed.

“ **Yeah.** ”

_I like you too._


End file.
